The scientific study of education faces challenges that are more acute than those found in most other scientific endeavors. Educational research feeds directly into policymaking and into changes in the way our schools operate, which influences not only the topics considered in research but also at times the research itself. In other fields of research regular linkage to widespread policies is not nearly so common. This linkage in education research puts extra pressure on researchers, but it also confers extra benefits. The National Academy of Education (NAEd) is in my opinion an institution that should not only ensure the highest level of development of the scientific study of education but also oversee the appropriate use of educational research in the policy sphere.